Background to the Story

The Grass Team discovered that consumers were being led to believe, through misleading labels and marketing, that they were purchasing higher ethically produced Woolworths Ayrshire and Organic dairy products than was the reality. We therefore sent a letter in April this year to Woolworths, along with a Dairy Commitment List asking them to change the farming practices to match the years of misleading marketing messages and labeling of these products.

The Grass Dairy Commitment List, has never received the promised formal response. It covers the areas of concern that we discovered over the 20 month investigation into Woolworths Dairy practices. Please view the document and if YOU agree that Woolworths must respond, formally, as they promised, then write to Justin Smith, head of The Good Business Journey, and ask them to do just that. You can e-mail custserv@woolworths.co.za and cc GRASS at sonia@grass.org.za

Since this story broke, Grass has received other information from farmers highlighting other dairy farming concerns that we should raise. Such as “continuous use of low-dose antibiotics in the feed, which is standard (stops mastitis, and increases the size of the animal so they mature quicker and don’t get sick)” and what is “the average lactation age of cows when they are removed from milk-producing duties and are slaughtered”.

“If people could see where their milk comes from, with cows on their third lactation (if they’re lucky enough to go that far), barely able to walk because they have been selectively bred for large udders and large udders droop and stretch at every lactation, they would never drink milk again. These second and third year lactators CANNOT walk any distance to pastures, their udders are too large. It is a disgusting business and the cruelty goes on for years. they are also milked every 8 hours by rotating machines, not people.” Retired Dairy Farmer in South Africa

This is disturbing and nauseating! It’s easy to turn a blind eye, and not think twice to hold producers and retailers accountable because you’re worried about what your contribution is to this mess when you have your bowl of cereal or yoghurt. This is about consuming the products, with clarity to you as to how it got to your table. It is not ethical to label in a way that misinforms the consumer.